Virginia Families Are Being Attacked
Virginia is the first and only state so far this year to file anti-family legislation. Del. Bob Marshall has introduced a bill, HB 187, that would prohibit doctors and other licensed health professionals from assisting unmarried women with becoming pregnant. This would preclude lesbian couples from becoming a family through donor insemination, gay couples from becoming a family through surrogacy, unless the surrogate was married, and would even prevent a widow from being inseminated with her deceased husband's sperm or their embryos.
This is another direct attack on all families in Virginia. Please help us send a message to Del. Marshall today!
Family Pride will continue to send updates as to the status of this important legislation and developments in other states. For more information, visit http://www.familypride.org or http://www.equalityvirginia.com .
Parenting with Pride – Full Day of Workshops, Resource Fair Offered by Los Angeles Family Groups
The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Family Services Program and the Pop Luck Club have teamed up to offer a special one-day event for LGBT-headed families, and those considering parenthood, on Sat., March 4.
The Center’s annual parenting conference will include 22 workshops for parents and parents-to-be, such as coming out to your children, legal issues for LGBT families, issues in adoptive trans-racial families and TLC: Transgender Loving Care. Youth activities for children nine years and older will be offered by COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) and child care and activities will be provided for those eight years and younger.
In addition, for the first time ever, the Pop Luck Club will be sponsoring its 8th annual resource fair on the same day. This expo-style event brings together a group of experts and exhibitors involved in helping LGBT people become parents, or helping support families with children.
The conference and expo will take place at the Selma Avenue Elementary School, 6611 Selma Ave. (in Hollywood). The conference will take place from 8:30am-5pm, and the resource fair will take place from noon-2pm, during the conference’s lunch break.
To RSVP for the conference, please call The Center’s Family Services Program at (323) 860-7320 or e-mail familyservices@lagaycenter.org. For more information on the Pop Luck Club or the resource fair, go to www.popluckclub.org or e-mail plcinfo@popluckclub.org.
Family Pride Joins as Amicus Partner in ACLU’s Arkansas Foster Care Case
Family Pride has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) case asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to uphold a lower court ruling that struck down a state ban that bars gay adults -- or anyone living in the same household as a gay adult -- from becoming a foster parent. Co-signers on this amicus brief include COLAGE, Lambda Legal, the Arkansas Stonewall Democrats, PFLAG, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign. In addition, briefs were filed by the Child Welfare League of America, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, the American Psychological Association, the Arkansas Psychological Association and the National Association of Social Workers (and the Arkansas chapter) and an assortment of Arkansas law professors and faith leaders.
A Guide to Talking With Your Child about Political Attacks on Our Families – Available at FamilyPride.org
Family Pride created this resource guide to help families meet the needs of their children while facing statewide and federal level attacks on our relationships and our families. The ballot measures, constitutional amendments and other attacks often include a media campaign, and your child(ren) could be exposed to negative images and comments about their family configuration. Talking about the wave of political attacks on our families and all the issues they can bring up does not necessarily come naturally to LGBT-parents. We hope this guide will give you some additional ideas on how to talk to your child(ren).